***
Tiller burst out of the forest into the clearing. The rest of his unit pressed themselves against the trees, firing at the enemy soldiers as they attempted to advance. Off in the distance, the shuttle engines roared overhead.
It was coming in, but would it be there fast enough? I kinda doubt it.
Their position was about to be overrun. They couldn’t do enough immediate damage to prevent the Kahl from just charging. At that point, they hadn’t bothered but if they knew they were about to lose… well, he had a feeling they might throw caution to the wind.
“Andrews is on his way,” Gunny said, “the enemy shuttle’s down. We need to be ready to board right away.”
Hans scoffed. “Andrews, strafe the woods near our position. Hit them before you come around to pick us up or we’ll never make it to board.”
Accurate, Tiller thought. He shot one of the Kahl dead in the chest. The man stumbled then took cover, returning fire. We need to juice these things up. We can’t be expected to shoot someone three to four times to put them down.
Vesper cried out as she hit the ground. Her shoulder smoldered from a hit to the left. She crawled to her feet, retaking her position. Another of their unit went down a moment later. He didn’t get up. Tiller couldn’t remember his name. The HUD showed they were down to six people besides the archaeologists.
Kyle grabbed the rifle from the fallen, blasting away. Thank God he realizes what’s at stake here.
The enemy started the charge, laying down a constant stream of fire. Hiding in cover was all they could do. Poking their heads out risked instant death but not shooting meant dying in a few moments.
“Grenades!” Gunny shouted. “Throw them all!”
They tossed their ordnance, ten spread out across the path the enemy had to take. As they burst, they cast flames in all direction along with a strong burst of energy. A couple trees went down instantly, others became torches as black smoke engulfed the area. Andrews buzzed them, opening up with blasters on his wings.
Any chance of keeping the forest from burning to the ground went out the window. Screams of the dying competed with the crackle of wood. Their ride swooped around, coming in low near the middle of the clearing. Gunny called for them to fall out. Tiller risked a glance around his cover, watching as several Kahl ran around on fire.
Like napalm, Tiller thought. They can’t put it out. And it must react to the compound in their armor as well. He doubted they could get it off in time so they were cooked inside it. Incinerated like they were stuck in an over. That’s about as horrifying as it gets. He shoved away, ensuring Vesper was on her way as well.
“Get on here now!” Andrews shouted. “There are still some guys out there that might be dangerous!”
A few rogue beams came bursting out of the flames, slapping the side of the shuttle. Tiller thought the shields would react but instead, the hull blackened. Oh God! The defenses are down! That put an extra spring in his step. Gunny brought the two archaeologists on the ship first. He waved at the others.
Vesper went on just before Tiller. He hopped on, glancing back as two Kahl soldiers hustled out, taking aim. “Crap!” He ducked as the ship took off… then one of the turrets cut their opponents down. “That was… wow.”
“Get your ass in here,” Gunny pulled him away from the ramp. “Strap in! Everyone! Andrews! Topside. Right now!”
Tiller checked on Vesper. She waved him off. He flopped down next to the lady archaeologist. “Hi!” He waved. “I’m Martin!”
“Lysa…” she breathed. “Thanks for the rescue.”
“All in a day’s work, right?” Tiller grinned, even as Vesper smacked his arm. “What?”
“Just… be quiet. No one’s got time for you.”
I dunno. I think they all do. The adrenaline high wouldn’t wear off for a while. When it did, the gravity of the situation might hit him hard. The men they lost, the fighting they did… but just then, he was thrilled to be alive. This was much better than a security job. This was exactly what I wanted.
Epilogue
Kyle sat at a table in the briefing room aboard the Triton. The last twenty-four hours swam in his heat, making it hard to process exactly what happened. Lysa rested her head on her arms beside him, eyes closed. They’d been through some crazy experiences in their time but never anything quite so dangerous.
Not even during our military tours.
Commander Labeau personally saw them to their own quarters where they got cleaned up. Kyle kept the cube nearby, even as he showered. When he finished, he changed into a provided uniform then accepted an escort to the briefing room. Captain Barnes promised to join them soon along with some other people to discuss what happened.
We got attacked by aliens, Kyle thought. That’s what happened.
“You okay?” Kyle asked.
Lysa didn’t open her eyes. “Yep.”
“Feel like shit?”
“Yep.”
“Me too.” Kyle wanted sleep. Real rest… in a bed. The loss of their ship weighed on him. They had worked hard to get that thing. Insurance might cover the cost of a replacement but certainly not everything inside. He let out a deep breath. “What’re we going to do, Lysa? I mean… we’re kind of ruined.”
“I don’t think so.” Rhys entered the room. “Not after what you guys have been through. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to talk about any of this publicly. Not for a while yet, at least.”
“Why not?” Lysa sat up. “What’re you talking about? And how did
